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I like the titanium; light weight and silver/grey finish. I prefer the round LCD panel to square-panel inserts of most (all?) other Ana-digi watches. The controls are a bit confusing, when it comes to (say) changing timezones, but that's what the manual is for.

Given the crown is push/pull, the Gen.2 crown makes more sense than the Gen.1 to me, so I would always go Gen.2 given the chance.

Not a dress watch, very much a tool watch. Sadly the price has nearly doubled since I got mine. so it is hard to justify getting one now as a beater, but it is my go-to watch at the weekends or on holiday.

The easiest to use and most legible ana-digital around. Four pusher usage is significantly simpler and more efficient than the Aerospace's one-crown-does-all feature, which sounds elegant on paper but is downright frustrating in actual use.

Minimalist moody looks and lightweight, easy to keep wearing it and risk not wearing any of your others. It's basically a seamaster in titanium, with pushers; it's the pushers that seemingly change the profile so drastically.

I have a Gen3 so can't suggest which of 1 or 2 to go for. I love it as what is essentially my tool watch. I wear it every night (lume stays bright through to morning without having to use the backlight), time my coffee in the morning with it, use it as my holiday watch, set different alarms with it, set my vintage watches to it, barely notice it's there it's so light and enjoy it as a really functional (space) watch. And it looks miles better than the Breitbling.

Ive had my gen 1 X-33 for a week and I think it's fabulous! It has a gen 2 crown, which I prefer, but I do think this is my favourite iteration. If you fancy one, you can't go wrong. I'm beginning to think, this could be my only watch, so my others are in danger ;) so conform able to wear, easy to set (after a couple of tries), light, and real wrist presence, lume that lasts the night. The circular LCD display really sets it apart in my view.

Just sold my gen2 and sad to see it go, l now have a 1 in 1 out . Had the gen 1 too , not much in them , gen 1 bit bling and normal crown,gen 2 crown and Matt bezel .Both are great watches and I shall try the gen3 sometime

Gen2 is I think a classic tool watch. There is a reason they are / wee so actively used up in the Space Station - fit for purpose. You know you don’t need to pull the crown to set the features? They all are activated by pushing the crown IN for a couple seconds. They are designed for use wearing gloves you know!

The Gen3 I have and nearly bought a Gen2 again. The Gen3 is different again - with almost an impossible array of features. Very logical when you get used to them.

What sets it apart from any other watch is the exeptionally loud alarm - designed to be heard above the noise of a cockpit or other engine noises. Casio’s are pathetically quiet and useless comparatively.

The latest Gen3 (and Gen2) can take the vibration of lift off and G forces dealt out in space flight so should be good for us earthlings. Sure the water resistance label says 30m - aparenty due to the echo chamber rather than the watch case itself - others can attest they swim, sauna, usual water activities and one version was for th America’s Cup sailing team. Just saying.

The holes don’t pass through the case back, it is just a resonance area to make the alarm louder. The watch is rated to 50m so if the seals are healthy is fine to swim with.

I had had one and got rid. The main issues with them are battery life which is poor (as little as 3 years in some cases) and the expense of servicing which is fiddly. The likes of Timpsons aren’t the people to change batteries on these as there is potential to bugger up the alarm and damage or lose the tiny titanium screws. Nice to experience, not so nice to keep running. If I were doing it again, I would go for a gen 2 or better still gen 3. The gen 1 crown is a pain.

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

I didn’t know this. The extra bit with holes (that acts as amplifier for the alarm) scared me, and Brendan unfortunately doesn’t do this model so I didn’t get it tested.

I would classify myself as primarily a vintage enthusiast but my X33 is definitely a watch I would struggle to do without. Having had mobile phone alarms fail me in the past (blue screen of death and accelerated overnight battery exhaustion, for example) the alarm is the killer function. Itís basically my travel watch which means that it gets worn quite a lot. I wouldnít take it near water but that rule generally applies to me as well.

Incidentally, there is an in house Omega cheaper alternative to the X33, the SM120m multifunction. Many of the things that annoy about the X33 also apply here but it does have the virtue of being available for about a third of the price. Uses the very similar 1665 movement and is an excellent travel watch. I don't particlularly miss my X33 but use this a lot.

I currently have a Skywalker (Gen 3) and have previously had a Gen 1 which I retrofitted with a Gen 2 crown. I bought the Skywalker with the first bonus I received in my current job, and it is absolutely a keeper.

Iím biased, clearly - but I think they are great; the control schema is incredibly logical and well designed once you get your head round it. Clearly it isnít as simple as the Aerospaceís crown-only option, but Iíve always found that required a ďknackĒ to operate, and having four pushers and a crown makes for a far more flexible system, IMO. I particularly like the Skywalkerís ďprogrammableĒ pusher, which you can use as a shortcut to access any particular function (canít recall whether the Gen 1 had the same feature).

I use mine for work, travel, holidays, general purpose tool watch wear - Iíve swum, sauna-ed and dived (albeit only 10m) with mine and had no issues with water ingress. Being a space nerd I find the ESA/NASA links with this series rather cool, too. Oh, and itís accurate - per watchtracker, my Skywalker has run at +7 seconds a year for over two years.

Compared with current Breitling ana/digi offerings, I prefer the brushed, functional aesthetic of the Omegas to the shinier Aerospaces- and the B-50 type watches are way too big for my taste. The only Aerospace Iíd have as well as my X-33 would be one of the earlier, slim, 40mm ones, but then I always rather felt Breitling lost the plot when they went to a 22mm lug width on the Aerospace... ;-)

Ultimately as with all such things, it boils down to taste and preference. And yeah, you can get a G-shock which does it all for a lot less - but you pays yer money etc. :)

Incidentally, there is an in house Omega cheaper alternative to the X33, the SM120m multifunction. Many of the things that annoy about the X33 also apply here but it does have the virtue of being available for about a third of the price.

Nowhere near as loud as the X-33 but is enough to wake you or alert you as long as you aren't at a thrash metal gig. At 38mm it is rather more subtle too. I found the X-33 to be rather clunky on the wrist.

The X-33 is quite chunky, but in the current climate that doesn't stop it being worn with a suit. Chris Hadfield manages to pull it off and he's quite small! Plus with it being titanium the bulk isn't reflected in the weight so I've had no comfort problems with it.

I think the Gen 2 is nicer, although I am a Gen 1 owner. Here are the 2 side by side so make your own mind up.

I also favour the X-33 over the Aerospace (apart from the Cobra Yellow Night Mission maybe!) and I have both. I rarely wear the Aerospace now and wear the X-33 if I need those functions. I do still have a bit of a soft spot for my Aerospace as it was the first expensive watch I really desired as a much younger man.